The present invention relates generally to an improvement in apparatus for the automatic die cutting of blanks primarily for making formable paperboard containers. In particular, it relates to the erection of the female blanking die for use in the blanking operation.
This invention claims priority of co-pending Canadian Patent Application No. 2,259,785, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein.
With the advent of many different sizes, shapes and configurations of cardboard or similar type containers, it is well-known in the art to die-cut, strip and blank cardboard box blanks using an automatic sequential press or die cutting machine. By automating the process and by using computer-aided technology, it is now possible to configure die-cut blanks in a limitless number of dimensions and specifications. It is also now possible to lay-out any number of blanks on a single sheet of cardboard while automatically cutting, stripping and blanking the sheets with little or no human operator intervention. One typical system and press known in the art is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,639, issued Aug. 16, 1994 and assigned to Die-X Tooling Systems.
As described in that U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,639, computer technology, combined with attendant laser technology, has enabled cardboard box manufacturers to utilize highly-accurate cutting and creasing dies for producing a planar sheet of die-cut blanks, and also to produce male and female blanking dies used automatically to separate the die-cut or stamped forms from the intervening web or waste portion of the sheet. Automatic blanking, in particular, results in a tremendous cost savings compared to the identical operation when performed by labourers using manual blanking means.
The current technology and the known prior art includes automatic systems or presses that feed large sheets of cardboard for cutting and scoring of blanks and also, for automatically stripping the excess cardboard from the stamped cardboard sheet, leaving a flexible thin webbing supporting the various rows of stamped carton forms. The known prior art also contemplated the use of a male and female combination blanking die for automatically separating the planar forms from the flexible web. The male die, effective through the use of a blanking member, pushed each of the cardboard cartons which were blanked through the web and through the apertures in the supporting female die. The thin web typically remained on the face of the female die, while the separated blanks were pushed through the blanking holes into a stack below the female blanking die.
For speed and efficiency, the prior art also contemplated the use of a travelling feed bar and grippers to xe2x80x9cpullxe2x80x9d a cardboard sheet through the various stations of the machine on a continuous chain drive or other mechanism, thereby automatically feeding the sheet from station to station. Similarly, in most applications, the remaining flexible web on the face of the female die after blanking was also pulled away through the use of the travelling bar and grippers into a waste container or other receptacle at the end of the machine.
The general configuration of automatic die cutting machines for the production of such die-cut blanks is well-known. A sheet of cardboard blank material was automatically interposed or urged by mechanical means beneath the surface of a cutting die as part of the first stage of the operation. The cutting die comprised a planar die having specially configured cutting edges which were created through the use of computer and laser technology to reflect a particular series of die-cut blank lay-outs for cutting. Once a sheet was interposed under the cutting die on a cutting plate, the cutting die was pressed onto the sheet from below thereby causing the sheet to be xe2x80x9ccutxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cscoredxe2x80x9d by the cutting die thereabove.
While not essential for a thorough understanding of the present invention, a typical system and press known in the art for automatic die cutting and blanking, which is taught in that U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,639, will now be briefly-described.
The press generally comprised means for feeding a series of blank, planar sheets into the press or system, e.g., by the use of a travelling bar and appended pulling grippers and then to a scoring and/or cutting station. Thereafter, at the scoring or stamping station, a plurality of rows and columns of die-cut forms were stamped or scored on to the cardboard sheet. The cardboard sheet remained in one piece and was next pulled automatically to a stripping station, where much of the small pieces of excess cardboard around the die-cut forms were automatically removed. What remained was a series of stamped and creased die-cut forms, which were held together by a thin web therebetween. The thin web and attached die-cut blanks were then automatically pulled into a blanking station where the die-cut blanks were completely separated from the web and then were dropped onto a pallet for transfer.
The blanking station specifically included the use of a male blanking die/female blanking die combination which, when engaged, pressed and separated the box blanks from the web and onto the pallet. The remaining thin web lay on the face of the female die component and was ready for disposal in a disposal area at the end of the press. As a result of the blanking operation, a planar cardboard blank was produced and was in a condition for assembly, by automatic folding or otherwise, for example, for the insertion of merchandise, food stuffs or other products to be contained therein.
That male blanking die/female blanking die combination included a female blanking die portion and a complementary male blanking die for blanking or separating die-cut cardboard carton blanks or other forms into a detached web and a substantially planar and unassembled die-cut cardboard blank. The die-cut cardboard sheet was automatically pulled through the press, and over the female die portion, through the use of travelling bar having appended gripper fingers which were adapted to grip the leading edge of the die-cut sheet.
After blanking, the web remained on the face of the female die portion and included a series of intermediate web portions which, together, formed an extremely flexible and flimsy cardboard xe2x80x9cskeletonxe2x80x9d which must be removed from the female blanking die face. In actual operation, the travelling bar and appended grippers pulled the flexible web over the female blanking die face, including the leading edges of the female blanking die.
In the operation of the blanking dies, the male blanking die was pressed downward through the corresponding through holes in the female blanking die, thereby separating and pushing the blanked cardboard carton through the through holes, resulting in die-cut blanks and leaving a cardboard web on the surface of the female blanking die. At this point, it was then necessary automatically to remove the remaining web portion from the face of the female blanking die by use of the travelling bar and grippers.
After the initial cutting process, the entire cut or scored sheet was automatically pulled or urged into a second (or xe2x80x9cstrippingxe2x80x9d) station for the operation for the stripping away of most of the excess material from around the cut box blanks. The stripping operation comprised the use of a female stripping tool onto which the cut sheet was automatically interposed. The female stripping tool had a series of configured openings which corresponded to the cut portions of the cut sheet and was adapted to receive the male stripping tool from above. The male stripping tool cooperated with the female stripping tool, and effectively broke away and separated the majority of excess material from the box blanks by being urged downwardly onto the sheet arranged over the female stripping tool. It was, of course, critical that the male and female stripping tools be aligned precisely and that the cut sheet be arranged in alignment therebetween to insure that stripping was effectively accomplished without tearing of the box flank, jamming of the machine or damage thereto. Further, precise alignment was required because of the narrow tolerances necessary to assemble the box or container which was formed from the cut sheet.
On machines so-configured, the stripped sheet was next urged in between yet another series of male and female blanking tools which were arranged one above the other, which were again required to be in precise alignment. Thereabove, the female blanking tool was adapted to receive the die-cut blank which was stripped at the previous station and which had a series of openings directly corresponding to the shapes of the cut boxes to be blanked. In turn, the corresponding male blanking tool of similar contour to that of the female tool was adapted to push the cut box blanks free from any remaining extraneous material, and through the female blanking tool into a stack therebelow. Accordingly, it was once again required that the male and female blanking tools be carefully-aligned and that the sheet to be blanked was precisely-arranged therebetween to avoid problems similar to those described in the stripping portion of the operation. After blanking was completed, the remaining extraneous material was then urged off the face of the female blanking tool into a refuse area and the process continued again from the beginning.
It is well-known and recognized in the prior art that the set-up of the cardboard blank cutting machine is critical to efficient and proper automatic cutting, stripping and blanking of multiple box blanks. The alignment method practised in the art was a manual one which relied upon the senses and vision of the operator, to manually-adjust the stripping and blanking tools through use of the applicable alignment means of a particular machine press. Accordingly, it was not unusual for machine set-up to take anywhere from four to six hours, especially for complex box layouts comprising various series of boxes and orientations. Due to the precision required and the high tolerances of the components, the method of manually-setting-up the machine required that the machine be xe2x80x9cdownxe2x80x9d for extended periods of time between production runs. This, of course, resulted in diminished capacity and productivity and affected the overall cost of production and price of the box blanks.
Many patents have been issued heretofore which were concerned with the erection of dies of a die cutting machine.
One patent was U.S. Pat. No. 2,504,642, patented Apr. 18, 1950, to W. D. Burgess, which provided a method of positioning die and punch holders which were in correct positions relatively to each other on die and punch shoes, on which they could be adjusted and fastened. The method included positioning the die holders by means of a template and positioning the punch holders by means of set-up plugs which fit in the die holders and which had a bore equal to the diameter of the punch body. A punch with a set-up plug therein was first attached to a punch holder, after which the set-up plug was moved into position on a die holder correctly to position the punch holder relatively to the die holder.
Another patent was U.S. Pat. No. 3,126,776, patented Mar. 31, 1964, by L. V. Shisler et al., which provided a method of aligning the punch and die retainers of a die set. The method included fixedly-mounting a first retainer upon an associated shoe in the proper position. Then, a spotting fixture was mounted onto the first retainer, so as to prevent relative rotation therebetween. A supporting shoe was brought into contact with an upper portion of the spotting fixture, to provide an indication on the under surface of the supporting shoe of the proper position of mounting holes. The supporting shoe was then removed from contact with the spotting fixture, and mounting holes were formed in the supporting shoe. A second retainer was loosely-mounted onto the supporting shoe, by inserting attaching means in the mounting holes. Then, the first and second retainers were accurately-aligned. Finally, the second retainer was secured in a final fixed position on the supporting shoe.
Yet a further patent was U.S. Pat. No. 3,150,550, patented Sep. 29, 1964 by M. Berlin et al., which provided a method of resetting a female rule die member and a rigid male punch member, which previously were matched, aligned and mounted as a unit, in a device which had two relatively-reciprocatable parts. The method included the steps of mounting the members on the reciprocatable parts of such a device so that at least one member was shiftable relative to its associated part in two orthogonal directions which were perpendicular to the direction of relative movement of the parts. The compression means were then manipulated to constrict the die blade. One member was then relatively shifted in the two orthogonal directions, so as to align the two members. Subsequently, one member was fixedly-secured to its associated part.
Another patent was U.S. Pat. No. 3,386,781, patented Jun. 4, 1968, by W. J. Blazek et al., which provided a die set comprising a pair of members which were movable toward, and from, one another. Means were provided for maintaining alignment between the members during movement thereof. The means included a guide pin which was carried for limited lateral adjustment on one of the members, and which telescoped with a tubular guide bushing which was carried for limited lateral adjustment on the other of the members. Fastening means were carried by each of the members for detachably-securing the guide pin and bushing, respectively, thereto. The fastening means provided for limited lateral adjustment of the positions of attachment of the pin and the bushing to the members.
Still another patent was U.S. Pat. No. 3,504,576, patented Apr. 7, 1970, by R. L. Silberman et al., which provided a precision die set comprising a punch holder and a die holder and a method of making a precision die set. The punch holder and die holder were guided for precise movement relative to one another by guide posts, which were secured at one end to the die holder and which cooperated with bushings which were affixed to the punch holder at the other end. The guide posts and bushings were loosely-received in non-precision made openings in the punch holder and die holder, and were retained in place by an epoxy adhesive. The epoxy adhesive was applied between the bushings and punch holder, and between the guide posts and die holder. Before the epoxy adhesive was cured, the guide posts were disposed perpendicular to the die holder and parallel to one another, with the guide posts engaging with their associated bushings, so as properly to position the bushings in the punch holder. Then, the epoxy adhesive was cured to retain the components in precise assembled relationship.
Yet another patent was U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,076 patented Aug. 14, 1979, by R. J. Corrigan, which provided a mounting plate for securing the position of a machine tool. Such mounting plate included a plurality of slot groupings which extended radially from a plate centre point. Radial axes of each slot group were distributed equiangularly about the centerpoint. Each slot grouping included at least two spaced-apart-apart lines of short, spaced-apart-apart slots extending parallel with the respective radial axis. The slots and spaces were aligned in radial sequence along a respective line, and were laterally offset by the slot and space sequence of the other line. Therefore, a space of one line was laterally-flanked by a slot in the other line.
Still a further patent was U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,915, patented Nov. 23, 1982, by A. V. Nascimento, which provided a method of making a precision die set. This method included the first step of mounting a first retainer block upon a die shoe in the proper position, by alignment with a punch shoe and applying shear plastic to hold the retainer block in position. That step was repeated with a multiplicity of retainer blocks. The retainer blocks were secured to the die shoe by means of a metal top plate.
The die shoe assembly was then removed from a pedestal. Appropriate dowel-receiving and screw-receiving holes were then appropriately-drilled.
Yet a further patent was U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,094, patented Aug. 9, 1983, by I. Nakamura, which provided an apparatus for accurately-locating and aligning dies. The apparatus included a die changing apparatus which included a pair of upper and lower die fixtures, which had locating pins on the sides facing each other. A pair of base plates was provided for securing the upper and the lower dies. This pair of base plates had a plurality of openings which were sized and positioned for receiving the locating pins, and for locating one each of the base plate on the fixtures. Means were provided for removably-securing one of the base plates on each fixture. At least two guide posts were provided, each of which had a stud portion which was sized and positioned for insertion into one of the openings in one of the base plates (of the pair of base plates). A guide portion was then inserted into another of the openings, which were provided on the remaining base plate (of the pair of the base plates). This permitted vertical-reciprocal movement of the other base plate along the length of the guide post. The guide portion and the stud portion were coaxial and were of the same diameter, in order to permit precise alignment of the dies on the base plates relative to the openings therein. Means were provided for removably-fastening each guide post to the base plates so as temporarily to erect each guide post on the base plates, prior to positioning the base plates on the die changing apparatus fixture via the pins and the openings.
Yet a further such patent was U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,095, patented Aug. 9, 1983, by H. A. Graboyes. This patent provided means for securing the die over the counterplate in an opposed face-to-face manner and in a precise aligned relationship for transfer to a press, where the scoring and cutting of sheet material occurred. The die and counterplate securing means included a bushing which had a longitudinal bore and a guide pin, which was adapted to fit snugly into the longitudinal bore of the bushing. An opening was formed in one of either the die or the counterplate, and the bushing was fitted into that opening and was secured to one of either the die or counterplate. The bushing included an end portion which extended beyond the opposing face of one of the die or the counterplate. The end portion of the bushing had a transverse bore therethrough, which intersected its longitudinal bore. The guide pin was secured to the other of the die or the counterplate. Such guide pin protruded from the opposing face of the other of the die or the counterplate, and had a side wall with a groove therein. The guide pin was fitted into the longitudinal bore of the bushing when the die and counterplate were in their aligned relationship, i.e., with the guide pin groove registering with the transverse bore of the bushing. A removable lock pin means was fitted into the registering guide pin groove and into the transverse bore of the bushing, for securing the guide pin within the bushing. The guide pin groove had a width which exceeded the transverse dimension of the lock pin means, to permit limited relative longitudinal movement of the guide pin within the bushing, and to allow aligned movement of the die relative to the counterplate.
Yet a further such patent was U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,840, patented Dec. 3, 1987, by I. Nakamura, which provided a method for accurately-locating and accurately-aligning dies with respect to a pair of upper and lower die fixtures having locating pins. The method included the steps of first uprightly-mounting guide posts into the openings of one of a pair of base plates, by inserting ends of the guide posts into the openings of the base plate. The openings of one base plate were positioned such that the locating pins of one of such die fixtures fit therein when that one of the base plates was mounted therein. Then a remaining one of the pins of the base plates was mounted for vertical reciprocal movement on the uprightly-erected guide posts, by slidably-inserting the other ends of the guide posts into openings of the remaining base plate of the pair of base plates. Thus, the assembled pair of the base plates were in the form of a die set which were accurately-aligned in the openings of the respective base plates. The openings of the remaining base plate were positioned such that the locating pins of another of the die fixtures fit therein, when the remaining base plate was mounted therein. The dies were then located in the pair of the base plates assembled in the form of the die set for accurately-aligning each of the dies, and the dies were secured to respective ones of the base plates in defined locations thereof. One base plate was mounted to the die fixture with the pins of the one die fixture being inserted into the holes of the one base plate. Finally, the remaining base plate was mounted to the other die fixture, with the pins of the other die fixture inserted into the holes of the remaining base plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,698, issued Apr. 4, 1995 to Morrison and assigned to Die-X Tooling Systems, provided a method for aligning the tools of a typical box blank die cutting machine. This method contemplated the use of alignment openings on the surface of male and female tools, which corresponded to a cut through-hole on test sheet. As the test sheet was urged through the stages of the machine, a series of alignment cylinders were used to insure that each of the male and female tools and the test sheet were aligned, by having the alignment cylinders fall clearly-through the various alignment openings and the through-hole. Once the tools at each position of the process were aligned, alignment screws and alignment members on the machine frame served to fix the position of the tools, relative to the position of the sheets to be die-cut, stripped, and blanked. Accordingly, the method contemplated the alignment and the set-up of the machine, based upon the urged position of the sheets to be scored and cut.
Applicant""s co-pending application Ser. No. 2,259,785, filed Jan. 19, 1999, on which the present application claims priority, and which is incorporated herein provided an effective solution to the deficiencies of the prior art. That application provided a female blanking die for a die cutting machine for die cutting and/or blanking a carton blank, as well as a combination male blanking die/female blanking die, and methods of producing them. The male blanking die/female blanking die combination included a male stripping die comprising a template having a particularly-specified perimeter, the template including a plurality of foam plastic pads which were removably secured to the undersurface of the template, the template being accurately secured at a predetermined position to the underface of a movable upper plate of the blanking station of the die cutting machine. The male blanking die/female blanking die combination also included a female blanking die comprising a rectangular framework and a plurality of grid support members, each grid support member having a slot across its upper face, the grid support members being selectively disposed along the internal perimeter of the rectangular framework. A grid was provided comprising a plurality of intersecting rails, the pattern of the intersecting rails having a predefined shape. The grid was disposed within the slots atop the grid support members. A plurality of jogger members were provided which were selectively-disposed along the internal perimeter of the rectangular framework, each jogging member having a particularly-recited structure. The plurality of jogger members were oriented along the internal perimeter of the rectangular framework in a particularly-recited way. The female blanking die was accurately-secured at a predetermined position atop a lower fixed plate of the blanking station of the die cutting machine. The male stripping die and the female blanking die were accurately-aligned to cooperate to press and separate the carton blanks from a web holding them together, and to force the separated cartons through aligned openings in the female blanking die.
While many of the above patents alluded to the solving of the problem of aligning the male blanking die with the female blanking die, with the die-cut carton blanks then being pushed through the female blanking die onto a stack of cartons below, in practice, such problem has not yet been satisfactorily-solved. Moreover, there is still a need for the setting-up of a female blanking die for use with a male blanking die so that the blanked sheets may be suitably-aligned in a fixed orientation prior to the blanked cartons being discharged from the blanking machine to a pallet for transfer.
Accordingly, an object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a means and method for setting-up a female blanking die for use in a die cutting machine.
An object of another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for setting-up an improved female blanking die.
An object of yet still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a system of novel components for setting-up an improved female blanking die.
By a first broad aspect of this invention, a method is provided for setting-up a female blanking die for a die cutting machine, the method comprising the steps of a) providing a universal press frame including a front rail, a rear rail and two side rails to provide a rectangular frame, the rails each being provided with a dovetail groove along its inside edge, the rectangular frame having a longitudinally-extending centre line which is marked on the front rail and on the rear rail and particularly-specified datum lines which are marked on the side rails, b) providing a template, the shape of the template being of the outer shape of a sheet containing a plurality of cartons which have been die-cut by the die cutting machine, and also including thereon a centre line and other datum points for accurately-aligning the template within the universal press frame to provide a female blanking die, the template including centre line datum apertures along the centre line adjacent to the front end and to the rear end of the template and other datum apertures at the other datum points, the apertures including retention means within such apertures, c) providing a pair of centre line orientation cylinders, each the centre line orientation cylinder including an upper cylindrical barrel, an aperture extending through the upper barrel and means for removably-disposing the centre line orientation cylinders within two longitudinally-spaced-apart centre line apertures along the centre line of the template adjacent to a front rail and a rear rail, respectively, and removably-inserting the centre line orientation cylinders therein, d) providing an elongated member and inserting the elongated member through aligned apertures through the upper barrel of the longitudinally-spaced-apart, centre line orientation cylinders, with the ends of the elongated member projecting beyond the front edge and the back edge of the template, e) providing a pair of centre line brackets, each the centre line bracket including a lower means for securing the centre line brackets to the front rail or to the rear rail, respectively, of the universal press frame and an upper extension including a central cradle of a shape which is similar to the shape of the elongated member, and securing the centre line brackets to the front rail and to the rear rail, respectively, exactly at the marked centre lines of the front rail and of the rear rail, f) providing four template corner locking clamps, each template comer locking clamp including means to secure it to a side rail of the universal press frame and a slotted inwardly-directed arm, and securing each comer locking clamp to an associated side rail at the particularly-specified datum lines adjacent to the front rail and the rear rail, with the slotted arm projecting into the interior area of the universal press frame, g) placing the template and with its attached elongated member thereon within the universal press frame with the projecting ends of the elongated member within the central cradles in the front centre line bracket and the rear centre line bracket, respectively, and resting on the template corner locking clamps, h) securing an associated comer of the template to a respective template comer locking clamp by means passing through the slotted arm and engaged within a preselected relevant datum aperture in the template, and i) removing the centre line orientation cylinders and the centre line brackets, after the template has been so accurately secured.
By a first variation of this first broad aspect of this invention, the elongated member is an elongated cylindrical rod.
By a second broad aspect of this invention, a method is provided for setting-up a female blanking die for a die cutting machine, the method comprising the steps of a) providing a universal press frame including a front rail, a rear rail and two side rails to provide a rectangular frame, the side rails each being provided with a dovetail groove along its inside edge, the rectangular frame having a longitudinally-extending centre line which is marked on the front rail and on the rear rail and particularly-specified datum lines which are marked on the side rails, b) providing a template, the shape of the template being of the outer shape of a sheet containing a plurality of cartons which have been die-cut by the die cutting machine, and also including thereon a centre line and other datum points for accurately-aligning the template within the universal press frame to provide a female blanking die, the template including two longitudinally-spaced-apart apertures along the centre line adjacent to the front end and to the rear end of the template and other datum apertures at the other datum points, the apertures including retention means within such apertures, the underside of the template including a plurality of removably-secured foam plastic blocks, which are disposed in accurately-predetermined locations thereon, c) providing a pair of centre line orientation cylinders, each the centre line orientation cylinder including an upper cylindrical barrel, a circular aperture extending through the upper barrel and means for removably-disposing the centre line orientation cylinders within the two longitudinally-spaced-apart centre line apertures along the centre line of the template, and removably-inserting the centre line orientation cylinders therein, d) providing an elongated cylindrical rod, and inserting the elongated cylindrical rod through aligned circular apertures through the upper barrels of the longitudinally-spaced-apart centre line orientation cylinders, with the ends of the elongated cylindrical rod projecting beyond the front edge and the back edge of the template, e) providing a pair of centre line brackets, each the centre line bracket including a lower means for securing the centre line bracket to a front rail or to a rear rail, respectively, of the universal press frame, and an upper extension including a central semi-cylindrical cradle, and securing the centre line brackets to the front rail and to the rear rail, respectively, exactly at the marked centre lines of the front rail and of the rear rail, f) providing four template corner locking clamps, each template comer locking clamp including means to secure it to a side rail of the universal press frame and a slotted inwardly-directed arm, and securing each corner locking clamp to an associated side rail at the particularly-specified datum lines adjacent to the front rail and adjacent to the rear rail, with the slotted arm projecting into the interior area of the universal press frame, g) placing the template with its attached elongated cylindrical rod within the universal press frame with the projecting ends of the elongated cylindrical rod resting within the central semi-cylindrical cradle in the front centre line bracket and in the rear centre line bracket, respectively, and resting on the template corner locking clamps, h) securing an associated corner of the template to a respective template comer locking clamp by means passing through the slotted arm and engaged within a preselected relevant datum aperture in the template, i) removing the centre line orientation cylinders and the centre line brackets, after the template has been so accurately-secured, j) providing a plurality of jogger members, each jogger member comprising a base member and means for insertion in the dovetail groove of the rails, an adjustable support member which is adjustably-slidably-disposed with respect to the base member, and a guiding member having an upper edge and a lower edge, the guiding member being secured to one face of the adjustable support member to provide a depending guiding face, disposing the jogger members in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame on the side rails, on the front rail and on the rear rail, and adjusting the plurality of jogger members until the depending guiding faces of the jogger members abut selected edges of the periphery of the template, the abutted guiding faces of the depending guiding members, together with the template, thereby constituting a perimeter that is substantially-identical to the outer perimetrical shape of a sheet containing a plurality of carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, k) removing the securing means of the template to the template corner locking clamps and removing the template corner locking clamps, thereby allowing the template to drop freely below the fixed grid and below the universal press frame, and 1) removing the template from below the universal press frame.
By a third broad aspect of this invention, a method is provided for setting-up a female blanking die for a die cutting machine, the method comprising the steps of a) providing a universal press frame including a front rail, a rear rail and two side rails to provide a rectangular frame, the side rails each being provided with a dovetail groove along its inside edge, the rectangular frame having a longitudinally-extending centre line which is marked on the front rail and on the rear rail, and particularly-specified datum lines which are marked on said side rails, b) providing a template, the shape of the template being of the outer shape of a sheet containing a plurality of cartons which have been die-cut by the die cutting machine, and also including thereon a centre line and other datum points for accurately-aligning the template within the universal press frame to provide a female blanking die, the template including two longitudinally-spaced-apart apertures along the centre line adjacent to the front end and adjacent to the rear end of the template and other datum apertures at the other datum points, the apertures including retention means within such apertures, the underside of the template including a plurality of removably-secured foam plastic blocks, which are disposed in accurately-predetermined locations thereon, c) providing a pair of centre line orientation cylinders, each the centre line orientation cylinder including an upper cylindrical barrel, a circular aperture extending through the upper barrel and means for removably-disposing the centre line orientation cylinders within the two longitudinally-spaced-apart centre line apertures along the centre line of the template, and removably-inserting the centre line orientation cylinders therein, d) providing an elongated cylindrical rod, and inserting the elongated cylindrical rod through aligned circular apertures through the upper barrels of the longitudinally-spaced-apart centre line orientation cylinders, with the ends of the elongated cylindrical rod projecting beyond the front edge and the back edge of the template, e) providing a pair of centre line brackets, each the centre line bracket including a lower means for securing the centre line bracket to a front rail or to a rear rail, respectively, of the universal press frame, and an upper extension including a central semi-cylindrical cradle, and securing the centre line brackets to the front rail and to the rear rail, respectively, exactly at the marked centre lines of the front rail and of the rear rail, f) providing four template corner locking clamps, each template corner locking clamp including means to secure it to a side rail of the universal press frame and a slotted inwardly-directed arm, and securing each corner locking clamp to an associated side rail at the particularly-specified datum lines adjacent to the front rail and adjacent to the rear rail, with the slotted arm projecting into the interior area of the universal press frame, g) placing the template with its attached elongated cylindrical rod within the universal press frame with the projecting ends of the elongated cylindrical rod resting within the central semi-cylindrical cradle in the front centre line bracket and in the rear centre line bracket, respectively, and resting on the template corner locking clamps, h) securing an associated corner of the template to a respective template corner locking clamp by means passing through the slotted arm and engaged within a preselected relevant datum aperture in the template, i) removing the centre line orientation cylinders and the centre line brackets, after the template has been so accurately-secured, and j) providing a plurality of jogger members, each jogger member comprising a base member and means for insertion in the dovetail groove of the rails, an adjustable support member which is adjustably-slidably-disposed with respect to the base member, and a guiding member having an upper edge and a lower edge, the guiding member being secured to one face of the adjustable support member to provide a depending guiding face, the jogger member also including slidable captive cap means having a leading edge, the slidable captive cap means being slidably-secured to the depending guiding member, disposing the jogger members in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame on the side rails, on the front rail and on the rear rail, respectively, adjusting the plurality of jogger members until the depending guiding faces of the jogger members abut selected edges of the periphery of the template, the abutted guiding faces of the depending guiding members, together with the template, thereby constituting a perimeter that is substantially-identical to the outer perimetrical shape of a sheet containing a plurality of carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, and disposing the leading edge of the slidable captive cap means a predetermined cantilevered distance over the depending guiding face of the depending guiding member, the leading edges of the slidable captive cap means which are atop the depending guiding members thereby extending as far as an xe2x80x9cimaginaryxe2x80x9d perimeter which would be defined by joining the leading edges of the slidable captive cap means which constitutes a perimeter that is substantially-similar to, but is slightly larger than, the perimetrical shape of a sheet containing the carton blanks which have been die-cut by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine, so that the slidable captive cap means provide a temporary support for selected areas of the sheet containing the carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine, k) removing the securing means of the template to the template corner locking clamps and removing the template comer locking clamps, thereby allowing the template to drop freely below the fixed grid and below the universal press frame, and 1) removing the template from below the universal press frame.
By a fourth broad aspect of this invention, a method is provided for setting-up a female blanking die for a die cutting machine, the method comprising the steps of a) providing a universal press frame including a front rail, a rear rail and two side rails to provide a rectangular frame, the side rails each being provided with a dovetail groove along its inside edge, the rectangular frame having a longitudinally-extending centre line which is marked on the front rail and on the rear rail, and particularly-specified datum lines which are marked on the side rails, b) providing a template, the shape of the template being of the outer shape of a sheet containing a plurality of cartons which have been die-cut by the die cutting machine, and also including thereon a centre line and other datum points for accurately-aligning the template within the universal press frame to provide a female blanking die, the template including two longitudinally-spaced-apart apertures along the centre line adjacent to the front end and to the rear end of the template and other datum apertures at the other datum points, the apertures including retention means within such apertures, the underside of the template including a plurality of removably-secured foam plastic blocks, which are disposed in accurately-predetermined locations thereon, c) providing a pair of centre line orientation cylinders, each the centre line orientation cylinder including an upper cylindrical barrel, a circular aperture extending through the upper barrel and means for removably-disposing the centre line orientation cylinders within the two longitudinally-spaced-apart centre line apertures along the centre line of the template, and removably-inserting the centre line orientation cylinders therein, d) providing an elongated cylindrical rod, and inserting the elongated cylindrical rod through aligned circular apertures through the upper barrels of the longitudinally-spaced-apart centre line orientation cylinders, with the ends of the elongated cylindrical rod projecting beyond the front edge and the back edge of the template, e) providing a pair of centre line brackets, each the centre line bracket including a lower means for securing the centre line bracket to a front rail or to a rear rail, respectively, of the universal press frame, and an upper extension including a central semi-cylindrical cradle, and securing the centre line brackets to the front rail and to the rear rail, respectively, exactly at the marked centre lines of the front rail and of the rear rail, f) providing four template corner locking clamps, each template corner locking clamp including means to secure it to a side rail of the universal press frame and a slotted inwardly-directed arm, and securing each corner locking clamp to an associated side rail at the particularly-specified datum lines adjacent to the front rail and adjacent to the rear rail, with the slotted arm projecting into the interior area of the universal press frame, g) placing the template with its attached elongated cylindrical rod within the universal press frame with the projecting ends of the elongated cylindrical rod resting within the central semi-cylindrical cradles in the front centre line bracket and in the rear centre line bracket, respectively, and resting on the template corner locking clamps, h) securing an associated corner of the template to a respective template corner locking clamp by means passing through the slotted arm and engaged within a preselected relevant datum aperture in the template, i) removing the centre line orientation cylinders and the centre line brackets, after the template has been so accurately-secured, j) providing a plurality of grid orientation cylinders, each the grid orientation cylinder including an upper barrel, at least one orientatable slot in the upper barrel end and having means for removably-disposing the grid orientation cylinders in preselected datum apertures in the template, and inserting the grid orientation cylinders in the preselected datum apertures in the template, k) providing a plurality of grid support members, each grid support member including means to secure it to a rail of the universal press frame, and a longitudinally-extending slot in its upper end, and disposing the grid support members in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame on the side rails, on the front rail and on the rear rail, respectively, 1) providing a plurality of jogger members, each jogger member comprising a base member and means for insertion in the dovetail groove of the rails, an adjustable support member is adjustably-slidably-disposed with respect to the base member, and a guiding member having an upper edge and a lower edge, the guiding member being secured to one face of the adjustable support member to provide a depending guiding face, disposing the jogger members in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame on the side rails, on the front rail and on the rear rail, adjusting the plurality of jogger members until the depending guiding faces of the jogger members abut selected edges of the periphery of the template, the abutted guiding faces of the depending guiding members, together with the template, thereby constituting a perimeter that is substantially-identical to the outer perimetrical shape of a sheet containing a plurality of carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, m) providing a grid comprising a plurality of intersecting longitudinal and transverse grid rails, the intersecting grid rails coinciding with abutting portions of the plurality of cartons which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, disposing the grid rails in selected slots in the grid orientation cylinders atop the template and in the slots in the grid support members, in order accurately to position the grid in the universal press frame, securing longitudinal and transverse projecting portions of the grid rails which are disposed in the slots in the grid support members in fixed position in the slots, and then securing the grid support members in locked positions on the interior perimeter of the universal press frame, thereby accurately to fix the grid to the universal press frame, n) removing the securing means of the template to the template corner locking clamps and removing the template corner locking clamps, thereby allowing the template to drop freely below the fixed grid and below the universal press frame, and o) removing the template from below the universal press frame.
By a fifth broad aspect of this invention, a method is provided for setting-up a female blanking die for a die cutting machine, the method comprising the steps of a) providing a universal press frame including a front rail, a rear rail and two side rails to provide a rectangular frame, the side rails each being provided with a dovetail groove along its inside edge, the rectangular frame having a longitudinally-extending centre line which is marked on the front rail and on the rear rail, and particularly-specified datum lines which are marked on said side rails, b) providing a template, the shape of the template being of the outer shape of a sheet containing a plurality of cartons which have been die-cut by the die cutting machine, and also including thereon a centre line and other datum points for accurately-aligning the template within the universal press frame to provide a female blanking die, the template including two longitudinally-spaced-apart apertures along the centre line adjacent to the front end and to the rear end of the template and at the particularly-specified datum lines at the other datum points, the apertures including retention means within such apertures, the underside of the template including a plurality of removably-secured foam plastic blocks, which are disposed in accurately-predetermined locations thereon, c) providing a pair of centre line orientation cylinders, each the centre line orientation cylinder including an upper cylindrical barrel, a circular aperture extending through the upper barrel and means for removably-disposing the centre line orientation cylinders within the two longitudinally-spaced-apart centre line apertures along the centre line of the template, and removably-inserting the centre line orientation cylinders therein, d) providing an elongated cylindrical rod, and inserting the elongated cylindrical rod through aligned circular apertures through the upper barrels of the longitudinally-spaced-apart centre line orientation cylinders, with the ends of the elongated cylindrical rod projecting beyond the front edge and the back edge of the template, e) providing a pair of centre line brackets, each the centre line bracket including a lower means for securing the centre line bracket to a front rail or to a rear rail, respectively, of the universal press frame, and an upper extension including a central semi-cylindrical cradle, and securing the centre line brackets to the front rail and to the rear rail, respectively, exactly at the marked centre lines of the front rail and of the rear rail, f) providing four template corner locking clamps, each template corner locking clamp including means to secure it to a side rail of the universal press frame and a slotted inwardly-directed arm, and securing each corner locking clamp to an associated side rail at the particularly-specified datum lines adjacent to the front rail and adjacent to the rear rail, with the slotted arm projecting into the interior area of the universal press frame, g) placing the template with its attached elongated cylindrical rod within the universal press frame with the projecting ends of the elongated cylindrical rod resting within the central semi-cylindrical cradles in the front centre line bracket and in the rear centre line bracket, respectively, and resting on the template corner locking clamps, h) securing an associated corner of the template to a respective template corner locking clamp by means passing through the slotted arm and engaged within a preselected relevant datum aperture in the template, i) removing the centre line orientation cylinders and the centre line brackets, after the template has been so accurately-secured, j) providing a plurality of grid orientation cylinders, each the grid orientation cylinder including an upper barrel, at least one orientatable slot in the upper barrel end, and having means for removably-disposing the grid orientation cylinders in preselected datum apertures in the template, and inserting the grid orientation cylinders in the preselected datum apertures in the template, k) providing a plurality of grid support members, each grid support member including means to secure it to a rail of the universal press frame, and a longitudinally-extending slot in its upper end, and disposing the grid support members in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame on the side rails, on the front rail and on the rear rail, respectively, 1) providing a plurality of jogger members, each jogger member comprising a base member and means for insertion in the dovetail groove of the rails, an adjustable support member which is adjustably-slidably-disposed with respect to the base member, and a guiding member having an upper edge and a lower edge, the guiding member being secured to one face of the adjustable support member to provide a depending guiding face, the jogger member also including slidable captive cap means having a leading edge, the slidable captive cap means being slidably-secured to the depending guiding member, disposing the jogger members in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame on the side rails, on the front rail and on the rear rail, adjusting the plurality of jogger members until the depending guiding faces of the jogger members abut selected edges of the periphery of the template, the abutted guiding faces of the depending guiding members, together with the template, thereby constituting a perimeter that is substantially-identical to the outer perimetrical shape of a sheet containing a plurality of carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, and disposing the leading edge of the slidable captive cap means a predetermined cantilevered distance over the depending guiding face of the depending guiding member, the leading edges of the slidable captive cap means which are atop the depending guiding members thereby extending as far as an xe2x80x9cimaginaryxe2x80x9d perimeter which would be defined by joining the leading edges of the slidable captive cap means which constitutes a perimeter that is substantially-similar to, but is slightly larger than, the perimetrical shape of a sheet containing the carton blanks which have been die-cut by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine, so that the slidable captive cap means provide a temporary support for selected areas of the sheet containing the carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine, m) providing a grid comprising a plurality of intersecting longitudinal and transverse grid rails, the intersecting grid rails coinciding with abutting portions of a plurality of cartons which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, disposing the grid rails in selected slots in the grid orientation cylinders atop the template and in the slots in the grid support members, in order accurately to position the grid in the universal press frame, securing longitudinal and transverse projecting portions of the grid rails which are disposed in the slots in the grid support members in fixed position in the slots, and then securing the grid support members in locked positions on the interior perimeter of the universal press frame, thereby accurately to fix the grid to the universal press frame, n) removing the securing means of the template to the template corner locking clamps and removing the template corner locking clamps, thereby allowing the template to drop freely below the fixed grid and below the universal press frame, and o) removing the template from below the universal press frame.
By a sixth broad aspect of this invention, a method is provided for setting-up a female blanking die for a die cutting machine, the method comprising the steps of a) providing a universal press frame including a front rail, a rear rail and two side rails to provide a rectangular frame, the side rails each being provided with a dovetail groove along its inside edge, the rectangular frame having a longitudinally-extending centre line which is marked on the front rail and on the rear rail, and particularly-specified datum lines which are marked on the side rails, b) providing a template, the shape of the template being of the outer shape of a sheet containing a plurality of cartons which have been die-cut by the die cutting machine, and also including thereon a centre line and other datum points for accurately-aligning the template within the universal press frame to provide a female blanking die, the template including two longitudinally-spaced-apart apertures along the centre line adjacent to the front end and adjacent to the rear end of the template and other datum apertures at the other datum points, the apertures including retention means within such apertures, the underside of the template including a plurality of removably-secured foam plastic blocks, which are disposed in accurately-predetermined locations thereon, c) providing a pair of centre line orientation cylinders, each the centre line orientation cylinder including an upper cylindrical barrel, a circular aperture extending through the upper barrel and means for removably-disposing the centre line orientation cylinders within the two longitudinally-spaced-apart centre line apertures along the centre line of the template, and removably-inserting the centre line orientation cylinders therein, d) providing an elongated cylindrical rod, and inserting the elongated cylindrical rod through aligned circular apertures through the upper barrels of the longitudinally-spaced-apart centre line orientation cylinders, with the ends of the elongated cylindrical rod projecting beyond the front edge and the back edge of the template, e) providing a pair of centre line brackets, each the centre line bracket including a lower means for securing the centre line bracket to a front rail or to a rear rail, respectively, of the universal press frame, and an upper extension including a central semi-cylindrical cradle, and securing the centre line brackets to the front rail and to the rear rail, respectively, exactly at the marked centre lines of the front rail and of the rear rail, f) providing four template corner locking clamps, each template corner locking clamp including means to secure it to a side rail of the universal press frame and a slotted inwardly-directed arm, and securing each comer locking clamp to an associated side rail at the particularly-specified datum lines adjacent to the front rail and to the rear rail, with the slotted arm projecting into the interior area of the universal press frame, g) placing the template with its attached elongated cylindrical rod within the universal press frame with the projecting ends of the elongated cylindrical rod resting within the central semi-cylindrical cradles in the front centre line bracket and in the rear centre line bracket, respectively, and resting on the template comer locking clamps, h) securing an associated comer of the template to a respective template comer locking clamp by means passing through the slotted arm and engaged within a preselected relevant datum aperture in the template, i) removing the centre line orientation cylinders and the centre line brackets, after the template has been so accurately-secured, j) providing a plurality of grid orientation cylinders, each the grid orientation cylinder including an upper barrel, at least one orientatable slot in the upper barrel end, and having means for removably-disposing the grid orientation cylinders in preselected datum apertures in the template, and inserting the grid orientation cylinders in the preselected datum apertures in the template, k) providing a plurality of grid support members, each grid support bracket including means to secure it to a rail of the universal press frame, and a longitudinally-extending slot in its upper end, and disposing the grid support members in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame on the side rails, on the front rail and on the rear rail, respectively, 1) providing a plurality of jogger members, each jogger member comprising a base member and means for insertion in the dovetail groove of the rails, an adjustable support member which is adjustably-slidably-disposed with respect to the base member, and a guiding member having an upper edge and a lower edge, the depending guiding member being secured to one face of the adjustable support member to provide a depending guiding face, disposing the jogger members in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame on the side rails, on the front rail and on the rear rail, adjusting the plurality of jogger members until the depending guiding faces of the jogger members abut selected edges of the periphery of the template, the abutted guiding faces of the depending guiding members, together with the template, thereby constituting a perimeter that is substantially-identical to the outer perimetrical shape of a sheet containing a plurality of carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, m) providing a plurality of auxiliary adjustable support members, each auxiliary adjustable support table comprising a base member for securement to the side rails, to the front rail and to the rear rail of the universal press frame, and an auxiliary adjustable support table, the auxiliary adjustable support table being adjustably-slidably-disposed along a longitudinal axis of the base member, securing the auxiliary adjustable support members in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame, along the side rails, along the front rail and along the rear rail by cooperation with the dovetail groove in the rails, and adjusting the auxiliary adjustable support members with respect to the base member to have the leading edge oriented substantially-parallel to a part of the universal press frame to which the auxiliary adjustable support table is secured, in such a way that an xe2x80x9cimaginaryxe2x80x9d perimeter which would be defined by joining the front edges of the auxiliary adjustable support members constitutes a perimeter that is substantially-similar to, but is slightly larger than, the perimetrical shape of a sheet containing carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine, so that the auxiliary adjustable support members provide a temporary support for selected areas of the sheet containing carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine, n) providing a grid comprising a plurality of intersecting longitudinal and transverse grid rails, the intersecting grid rails coinciding with abutting portions of the plurality of cartons which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, disposing the grid rails in selected slots in the grid orientation cylinders atop the template and in the slots in the grid support members, in order accurately to position the grid in the universal press frame, securing longitudinal and transverse projecting portions of the grid which are disposed in the slots in the grid support members in fixed position in the slots, and then securing the grid support members in locked position on the interior perimeter of the universal press frame, thereby accurately to fix the grid to the universal press frame, o) removing the securing means of the template to the template corner locking clamps and removing the template corner locking clamps, thereby allowing the template to drop freely below the fixed grid and below the universal press frame, and p) removing the template from below the universal press frame, thereby providing the female blanking die for the die cutting machine.
By a seventh broad aspect of this invention, a method is provided for setting-up a female blanking die for a die cutting machine, the method comprising the steps of a) providing a universal press frame including a front rail, a rear rail and two side rails to provide a rectangular frame, the side rails each being provided with a dovetail groove along its inside edge, the rectangular frame having a longitudinally-extending centre line which is marked on the front rail and on the rear rail, and particularly-specified datum lines which are marked on the side rails, b) providing a template, the shape of the template being of the outer shape of a sheet containing a plurality of cartons which have been die-cut by the die cutting machine, and also including thereon a centre line and other datum points for accurately-aligning the template within the universal press frame to provide a female blanking die, the template including two longitudinally-spaced-apart apertures along the centre line adjacent to the front end and adjacent to the rear end of the template and at the particularly-specified datum lines at the other datum points, the apertures including retention means within such apertures, the underside of the template including a plurality of removably-secured foam plastic blocks, which are disposed in accurately-predetermined locations thereon, c) providing a pair of centre line orientation cylinders, each the centre line orientation cylinder including an upper cylindrical barrel, a circular aperture extending through the upper barrel and means for removably-disposing the centre line orientation cylinders within the two longitudinally-spaced-apart centre line apertures along the centre line of the template, and removably-inserting the centre line orientation cylinders therein, d) providing an elongated cylindrical rod, and inserting the elongated cylindrical rod through aligned circular apertures through the upper barrels of the longitudinally-spaced-apart centre line orientation cylinders, with the ends of the elongated cylindrical rod projecting beyond the front edge and the back edge of the template, e) providing a pair of centre line brackets, each the centre line bracket including a lower means for securing the centre line bracket to a front rail or to a rear rail, respectively, of the universal press frame, and an upper extension including a central semi-cylindrical cradle, and securing the centre line brackets to the front rail and to the rear rail, respectively, exactly at the marked centre lines of the front rail and of the rear rail, f) providing four template corner locking clamps, each template corner locking clamp including means to secure it to a side rail of the universal press frame and a slotted inwardly-directed arm, and securing each corner locking clamp to an associated side rail at the particularly-specified datum lines adjacent to the front rail and to the rear rail, with the slotted arm projecting into the interior area of the universal press frame, g) placing the template with its attached elongated cylindrical rod within the universal press frame with the projecting ends of the elongated cylindrical rod within the central semi-cylindrical cradles in the front centre line bracket and in the rear centre line bracket, respectively, and resting on the template corner locking clamps, h) securing an associated corner of the template to a respective template corner locking clamp by means passing through the slotted arm and engaged within a preselected relevant datum aperture in the template, i) removing the centre line orientation cylinders and the centre line brackets, after the template has been so accurately-secured, j) providing a plurality of grid orientation cylinders, each the grid orientation cylinder including an upper barrel, at least one orientatable slot in the upper barrel, and having means for removably-disposing the grid orientation cylinders in preselected datum apertures in the template, and inserting the grid orientation cylinders in the preselected datum apertures in the template, k) providing a plurality of grid support members, each grid support member including means to secure it to a rail of the universal press frame, and a longitudinally-extending slot in its upper end, and disposing the grid support members in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame on the side rails, on the front rail and on the rear rail, respectively, 1) providing a plurality of jogger members, each jogger member comprising a base member and means for insertion in the dovetail groove of the rails, an adjustable support member which is adjustably-slidably-disposed with respect to the base member, and a guiding member having an upper edge and a lower edge, the depending guiding member being secured to one face of the adjustable support member to provide a depending guiding face, the jogger member also including slidable captive cap means having a leading edge, the slidable captive cap means being slidably-secured to the depending guiding member, disposing the jogger members in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame on the side rails, on the front rail and on the rear rail, adjusting the plurality of jogger members until the depending guiding faces of the jogger members abut selected edges of the periphery of the template, the abutted guiding faces of the depending guiding members, together with the template, thereby constituting a perimeter that is substantially-identical to the outer perimetrical shape of a sheet containing a plurality of carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, and disposing the leading edge of the slidable captive cap means a predetermined cantilevered distance over the depending guiding face of the depending guiding member, the leading edges of the slidable captive cap means which are atop the depending guiding members thereby extending as far as an xe2x80x9cimaginaryxe2x80x9d perimeter which would be defined by joining the leading edges of the slidable captive cap means which constitutes a perimeter that is substantially-similar to, but is slightly larger than, the perimetrical shape of a sheet containing the carton blanks which have been die-cut by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine, so that the slidable captive cap means provide a temporary support for selected areas of the sheet containing the carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine, m) providing a plurality of auxiliary adjustable support members, each auxiliary adjustable support table comprising a base member for securement to the side rails, to the front rail and to the rear rail of the universal press frame, and an auxiliary adjustable support table, the auxiliary adjustable support table being adjustably-slidably-disposed along a longitudinal axis of the base member, securing the auxiliary adjustable support members in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame, along the side rails, along the front rail and along the rear rail by cooperation with the dovetail groove in the rails, and adjusting the auxiliary adjustable support members with respect to the base member to have the leading edge oriented substantially-parallel to a part of the universal press frame to which the support member is secured, in such a way that an xe2x80x9cimaginaryxe2x80x9d perimeter which would be defined by joining the front edges of the auxiliary adjustable support members constitutes a perimeter that is substantially-similar to, but is slightly larger than, the perimetrical shape of a sheet containing carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine, so that the auxiliary adjustable support members provide a temporary support for selected areas of the sheet containing carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine, n) providing a grid comprising a plurality of intersecting longitudinal and transverse rails, the intersecting rails coinciding with abutting portions of the plurality of cartons which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, disposing the grid in selected slots in the grid orientation cylinders atop the template and in the slots in the grid support members, in order accurately to position the grid in the universal press frame, securing longitudinal and transverse projecting portions of the grid which are disposed in the slots in the grid support members in fixed position in the slots, and then securing the grid support members in locked position on the interior perimeter of the universal press frame, thereby accurately to fix the grid to the universal press frame, o) removing the securing means of the template to the template corner locking clamps and removing the template corner locking clamps, thereby allowing the template to drop freely below the fixed grid and below the universal press frame, and p) removing the template from below the universal press frame, thereby providing the female blanking die for the die cutting machine.
By a first variant of the third to seventh broad aspects of this invention, the method includes providing the grid orientation cylinders with a pair of mutually-transverse upper slots of different widths to accommodate a grid whose grid rails are of a different thickness.
By an eighth broad aspect of this invention, a universal press frame is provided for use in the setting-up of a female blanking die, as described hereinabove, for a die cutting machine for die cutting and/or blanking a carton blank, the universal press frame comprising a rectangular framework comprising two opposed side rails, a front rail, a rear rail and two side rails, the rails each being provided with a dovetail groove along its inside edge, the rectangular frame having a longitudinally-extending centre line which is marked on the front rail and on the rear rail, and particularly-specified datum lines which are marked on the side rails, four template corner locking clamps, each template corner locking clamp including means to secure it to a side rail of the universal press frame and a slotted inwardly-directed arm, each template corner locking clamp being secured to an associated side rail at the particularly-specified datum lines adjacent to the front rail and to the rear rail, with the slotted arm projecting into the interior area of the universal press frame, and a template, the shape of the template being of the outer shape of a sheet containing a plurality of cartons which have been cut by the die cutting machine, and also including thereon a centre line and other datum points for accurately-aligning the template within the universal press frame to provide a female blanking die, the template including centre line datum apertures along the centre line adjacent to the front end and to the rear end of the template and other datum apertures at the other datum points, the apertures including retention means within the apertures, and means, cooperating between the template and the template corner locking clamps, whereby the template is locked atop the template corner locking clamps, the template being locked atop the four template corner locking clamps at the precise location within the rectangular framework which has been predetermined so that the female blanking die and a male blanking die may be accurately aligned in the die cutting machine.
By a ninth broad aspect of this invention, a universal press frame is provided for use in the setting-up of a female blanking die, as described hereinabove, for a die cutting machine for die cutting and/or blanking a carton blank, the universal press frame comprising a rectangular framework comprising two opposed side rails, a front rail, a rear rail and two side rails, the rails each being provided with a dovetail groove along its inside edge, the rectangular frame having a longitudinally-extending centre line which is marked on the front rail and on the rear rail, and particularly-specified datum lines which are marked on the side rails, four template corner locking clamps, each template corner locking clamp including means to secure it to a side rail of the universal press frame and a slotted inwardly-directed arm, each the template corner locking clamp being secured to an associated side rail at the particularly-specified datum lines adjacent to the front rail and to the rear rail, with the slotted arm projecting into the interior area of the universal press frame, a template, the shape of the template being of the outer shape of a sheet containing a plurality of cartons which have been cut by the die cutting machine, and also including thereon a centre line and other datum points for accurately-aligning the template within the universal press frame to provide a female blanking die, the template including two longitudinally-spaced-apart apertures along the centre line adjacent to the front end and to the rear end of the template and other datum apertures at the other datum points, the apertures including retention means within the apertures, the underside of the template including a plurality of removably-secured foam plastic blocks, which are disposed in accurately-predetermined locations thereon, and means, cooperating between the template and the template corner locking clamps, whereby the template is locked atop the template corner locking clamps, the template being locked atop the four template corner locking clamps at the precise location within the rectangular framework which has been predetermined so that the female blanking die and a male blanking die may be accurately aligned in the die cutting machine, a plurality of jogger members, each jogger member comprising a base member and means for insertion in the dovetail groove of the rails, an adjustable support member which is adjustably-slidably-disposed with respect to the base member, and a guiding member having an upper edge and a lower edge, the guiding member being secured to one face of the adjustable support member to provide a depending guiding face, the plurality of jogger members being oriented along the interior perimeter of the rectangular framework in such a way that the depending guiding faces abut selected edges of the perimeter of the template, the abutted guiding faces of the depending guiding faces, together with the template, thereby constituting a perimeter that is substantially-identical to the outer perimetrical shape of a sheet containing a plurality of carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine.
By a tenth broad aspect of this invention, a universal press frame is provided for use in the setting-up of a female blanking die, as described hereinabove, for a die cutting machine for die cutting and/or blanking a carton blank, the universal press frame comprising a rectangular framework comprising two opposed side rails, a front rail, a rear rail and two side rails, the rails each being provided with a dovetail groove along its inside edge, the rectangular frame having a longitudinally-extending centre line which is marked on the front rail and on the rear rail, and particularly-specified datum lines which are marked on the side rails, four template corner locking clamps, each template corner locking clamp including means to secure it to a side rail of the universal press frame and a slotted inwardly-directed arm, each the template corner locking clamp being secured to an associated side rail at the particularly-specified datum lines adjacent to the front rail and to the rear rail, with the slotted arm projecting into the interior area of the universal press frame, a template, the shape of the template being of the outer shape of a sheet containing a plurality of cartons which have been cut by the die cutting machine, and also including thereon a centre line and other datum points for accurately-aligning the template within the universal press frame to provide a female blanking die, the template including two longitudinally-spaced-apart apertures along the centre line adjacent to the front end and to the rear end of the template and other datum apertures at the other datum points, the apertures including retention means within the apertures, the underside of the template including a plurality of removably-secured foam plastic blocks, which are disposed in accurately-predetermined locations thereon, and means, cooperating between the template and the template corner locking clamps, whereby the template is locked atop the template corner locking clamps, the template being locked at the precise location within the rectangular framework which has been predetermined so that the female blanking die and a male blanking die may be accurately aligned in the die cutting machine, and a plurality of jogger members, each jogger member comprising a base member and means for insertion in the dovetail groove of the rails, an adjustable support member which is adjustably-slidably-disposed with respect to the base member, and a guiding member having an upper edge and a lower edge, the guiding member being secured to one face of the adjustable support member to provide a depending guiding face, the jogger member also including slidable captive cap means having a leading edge, the slidable captive cap means being slidably-secured to the depending guiding member, the jogger members being disposed in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame on the side rails, on the front rail and on the rear rail, the plurality of jogger members being adjusted until the depending guiding faces of the jogger members abut selected edges of the periphery of the template, the leading edge of the slidable captive cap means being disposed a predetermined cantilevered distance over the depending guiding face of the depending guiding member, the plurality of jogger members being oriented along the interior perimeter of the rectangular framework in such a way that the depending guiding faces abut selected edges of the perimeter of the template, the abutted guiding faces of the depending guiding members, together with the template, thereby constituting a perimeter that is substantially-identical to the outer perimetrical shape of a sheet containing a plurality of carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, and the leading edges of the slidable captive cap means which are atop the depending guiding members thereby extending as far as an xe2x80x9cimaginaryxe2x80x9d perimeter which would be defined by joining the leading edges of the slidable captive cap means which constitutes a perimeter that is substantially-similar to, but is slightly larger than, the perimetrical shape of a sheet containing the carton blanks which have been die-cut by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine, so that the slidable captive cap means provide a temporary support for selected areas of a sheet containing the carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine.
By an eleventh broad aspect of this invention, a universal press frame is provided for use in the setting-up of a female blanking die, as described hereinabove, for a die cutting machine for die cutting and/or blanking a carton blank, the universal press frame comprising a rectangular framework comprising two opposed side rails, a front rail, a rear rail and two side rails, the rails each being provided with a dovetail groove along its inside edge, the rectangular frame having a longitudinally-extending centre line which is marked on the front rail and on the rear rail, and particularly-specified datum lines which are marked on the side rails, four template corner locking clamps, each template corner locking clamp including means to secure it to a side rail of the universal press frame and a slotted inwardly-directed arm, each the template corner locking clamp being secured to an associated side rail at the particularly-specified datum lines adjacent to the front rail and to the rear rail, with the slotted arm projecting into the interior area of the universal press frame, a template, the shape of the template being of the outer shape of a sheet containing a plurality of cartons which have been cut by the die cutting machine, and also including thereon a centre line and other datum points for accurately-aligning the template within the universal press frame to provide a female blanking die, the template including two longitudinally-spaced-apart apertures along the centre line adjacent to the front end and to the rear end of the template and other datum apertures at the other datum points, the apertures including retention means within the apertures, the underside of the template including a plurality of removably-secured foam plastic blocks, which are disposed in accurately-predetermined locations thereon, and means, cooperating between the template and the template corner locking clamps, whereby the template is locked atop the template corner locking clamps, the template being locked at the precise location within the rectangular framework which has been predetermined so that the female blanking die and a male blanking die may be accurately aligned in the die cutting machine, a plurality of grid orientation cylinders, each the grid orientation cylinder including an upper barrel, at least one orientatable slot in the upper barrel end, and having means for removably-disposing the grid orientation cylinders in preselected datum apertures in the template, and the grid orientation cylinders being disposed in the preselected datum apertures in the template, a plurality of grid support members, each grid support member including means to secure it to a rail of the universal press frame, and a longitudinally-extending slot in its upper end, the grid support members being disposed in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame on the side rails, on the front rail and on the rear rail, respectively, a grid comprising a plurality of intersecting longitudinal and transverse grid rails, the intersecting grid rails coinciding with abutting portions of the plurality of cartons which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, the grid rails being disposed in selected slots in the grid orientation cylinders atop the template and in the slots in the grid support members, in order accurately to position the grid in the universal press frame, longitudinal and transverse projecting portions of the grid rails which are disposed in the slots in the grid support members being secured in fixed position in the slots, and the grid support members being then secured in locked positions on the interior perimeter of the universal press frame, thereby accurately to fix the grid to the universal press frame, and a plurality of jogger members, each jogger member comprising a base member and means for insertion in the dovetail groove of the rails, an adjustable support member which is adjustably-slidably-disposed with respect to the base member, and a guiding member having an upper edge and a lower edge, the guiding member being secured to one face of the adjustable support member to provide a depending guiding face, the jogger members being disposed in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame on the side rails, on the front rail and on the rear rail, the plurality of jogger members being adjusted until the depending guiding faces of the jogger members abut selected edges of the periphery of the template, the plurality of jogger members being oriented along the interior perimeter of the rectangular framework in such a way that the depending guiding faces abut selected edges of the perimeter of the template, the abutted guiding faces of the depending guiding members, together with the template, thereby constituting a perimeter that is substantially-identical to the outer perimetrical shape of a sheet containing a plurality of carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine.
By a twelfth broad aspect of this invention, a universal press frame is provided for setting-up a female blanking die, as described hereinabove, for a die cutting machine for die cutting and/or blanking a carton blank, the universal press frame comprising a rectangular framework comprising a front rail, a rear rail and two side rails, the rails each being provided with a dovetail groove along its inside edge, the rectangular frame having a longitudinally-extending centre line which is marked on the front rail and on the rear rail, and particularly-specified datum lines which are marked on the side rails, four template corner locking clamps, each template corner locking clamp including means to secure it to a side rail of the universal press frame and a slotted inwardly-directing arm, each corner locking clamp being secured to an associated side rail adjacent to the front rail and adjacent to the rear rail at the particularly-specified datum lines, with the slotted inwardly-directing arm projecting into the interior area of the universal press frame, a template, the shape of the template being of the outer shape of a sheet containing a plurality of cartons which have been die-cut by the die cutting machine, and also including thereon a centre line and other datum points for accurately-aligning the template within the universal press frame to provide a female blanking die, the template including two longitudinally-spaced-apart apertures along the centre line adjacent to the front end and adjacent to the rear end of the template and adjacent other datum apertures of the other datum points, the apertures including retention means within the apertures, the underside of the template including a plurality of removably-secured foam plastic blocks, which are disposed in accurately-predetermined locations thereon, and means, cooperating between the template and the template corner locking clamps, whereby the template is locked atop the template corner locking clamps, the template being locked atop the four template corner locking clamps at the precise location within the rectangular framework which has been predetermined so that the female blanking die and a male blanking die may be accurately aligned in the die cutting machine, a plurality of grid orientation cylinders, each grid orientation cylinder including an upper barrel, at least one orientatable slot in the upper barrel end, and having means for removably-disposing the grid orientation cylinders in preselected datum apertures in the template, the grid orientation cylinders being inserted at predetermined accurate positions atop the template, a plurality of grid support brackets, each grid support bracket including means to secure it to a rail of the universal press frame, and a longitudinally-extending slot in its upper end, a grid support brackets being selectively-disposed along two opposed side rails, along the front rail and along the rear rail of the rectangular framework on the interior perimeter of the rectangular framework, a grid comprising a plurality of intersecting longitudinal and transverse grid rails, the intersecting grid rails coinciding with abutting portions of the plurality of cartons which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, the grid rails being disposed in selected slots in the grid orientation cylinders atop the template and in the slots in the grid support brackets, the grid support brackets then being secured in locked positions on the interior perimeter of the universal press frame, when the grid is disposed in the slots in the grid support bracket, and a plurality of jogger members, which are selectively-disposed along the interior perimeter of the rectangular framework, each jogger member comprising a base member and means for insertion in the dovetail groove of the rails, an adjustable support member which is adjustably-slidably-disposed with respect to the base member, and a guiding member having an upper edge and a lower edge, the guiding member being secured to one face of the adjustable support member to provide a depending guiding face, the jogger member also including slidable captive cap means having a leading edge, the slidable captive cap means being slidably-secured to the depending guiding member, the jogger members being disposed in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame on the side rails, on the front rail and on the rear rail, the plurality of jogger members being adjusted until the depending guiding faces of the jogger members abut selected edges of the periphery of the template, and the leading edge of the slidable captive cap means being disposed at a predetermined cantilevered distance over the depending guiding face of the depending guiding member, the plurality of jogger members being so oriented along the interior perimeter of the rectangular framework in such a way that the depending guiding faces abut selected edges of the perimeter of the template, the abutted guiding faces of the depending guiding members, together with the template, thereby constituting a perimeter that is substantially-identical to the outer perimetrical shape of a sheet containing a plurality of carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, and the leading edges of the slidable captive cap means which are atop the guiding members thereby extending as far as an xe2x80x9cimaginaryxe2x80x9d perimeter which would be defined by joining the leading edges of the slidable captive cap means which constitutes a perimeter that is substantially-similar to, but is slightly larger than, the perimetrical shape of a sheet containing the carton blanks which have been die-cut by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine, so that the slidable captive cap means provide a temporary support for selected areas of the sheet containing the carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine.
By a thirteenth broad aspect of this invention, a female blanking die, as described hereinabove, is provided for a die cutting machine for die cutting and/or blanking a carton blank, the universal press frame comprising a rectangular framework comprising a front rail, a rear rail and two side rails, the rails each being provided with a dovetail groove along its inside edge, the rectangular frame having a longitudinally-extending centre line which is marked on the front rail and on the rear rail, and particularly-specified datum lines which are marked on the side rails, four template corner locking clamps, each template corner locking clamp including means to secure it to a side rail of the universal press frame and a slotted inwardly-directing arm, each corner locking clamp being secured to an associated side rail adjacent to the front rail and to the rear rail at the particularly-specified datum lines, with the slotted inwardly-directing arm projecting into the interior area of the universal press frame, a template, the shape of the template being of the outer shape of a sheet containing a plurality of cartons which have been die-cut by the die cutting machine, and also including thereon a centre line and other datum points for accurately-aligning the template within the universal press frame to provide a female blanking die, the template including two longitudinally-spaced-apart apertures along the centre line adjacent to the front end and to the rear end of the template and other datum apertures of the other datum points, the apertures including retention means within the apertures, the underside of the template including a plurality of removably-secured foam plastic blocks, which are disposed in accurately-predetermined locations thereon, and means, cooperating between the template and the template corner locking clamps, whereby the template is locked atop the template corner locking clamps, the template being locked atop the four template corner locking clamps at the precise location within the rectangular framework which has been predetermined so that the female blanking die and a male blanking die may be accurately aligned in the die cutting machine, a plurality of grid orientation cylinders, each grid orientation cylinder including an upper barrel, at least one orientatable slot in the upper barrel, and having means for removably-disposing the grid orientation cylinders in preselected datum apertures in the template, the grid orientation cylinders being inserted at predetermined accurate positions atop the template, a plurality of grid support brackets, each grid support bracket including means to secure it to a rail of the universal press frame, and a longitudinally-extending slot in its upper end, the grid support brackets being selectively-disposed along two opposed side rails, along the front rail and along the rear rail of the rectangular framework on the interior perimeter of the rectangular framework, a grid comprising a plurality of intersecting longitudinal and transverse grid rails, the intersecting grid rails coinciding with abutting portions of the plurality of cartons which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, the grid rails being disposed in selected slots in the grid orientation cylinders atop the template and in the slots in the grid support brackets, the grid support brackets then being secured in locked positions on the interior perimeter of the universal press frame by securing longitudinal and transverse projecting portions of the grid which are disposed in the slots in the grid support brackets in fixed position in the slots, a plurality of jogger members, each jogger member comprising a base member and means for insertion in the dovetail groove of the rails, an adjustable support member which is adjustably-slidably-disposed with respect to the base member, and a guiding member having an upper edge and a lower edge, the guiding member being secured to one face of the adjustable support member to provide a depending guiding face, the jogger member also including slidable captive cap means having a leading edge, the slidable captive cap means being slidably-secured to the depending guiding member, the jogger members being disposed in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame on the side rails, on the front rail and on the rear rail, the plurality of jogger members being adjusted until the depending guiding faces of the jogger members abut selected edges of the periphery of the template, and the leading edge of the slidable captive cap means being disposed at a predetermined cantilevered distance over the depending guiding face of the depending guiding member, the plurality of jogger members being so oriented along the interior perimeter of the rectangular framework in such a way that the depending guiding faces abut selected edges of the perimeter of the template, the abutted guiding faces of the depending guiding members, together with the template, thereby constituting a perimeter that is substantially-identical to the outer perimetrical shape of a sheet containing a plurality of carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, and the leading edges of the slidable captive cap means which are atop the depending guiding members thereby extending as far as an xe2x80x9cimaginaryxe2x80x9d perimeter which would be defined by joining the leading edges of the slidable captive cap means which constitutes a perimeter that is substantially-similar to, but is slightly larger than, the perimetrical shape of a sheet containing the carton blanks which have been die-cut by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine, so that the slidable captive cap means provide a temporary support for selected areas of the sheet containing the carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine, and a plurality of auxiliary adjustable support members, each of the auxiliary adjustable support members comprising a base member for securement to the rectangular framework, and an auxiliary adjustable support table being slidably-adjustably-disposed along a longitudinal axis of the base member, the auxiliary adjustable support table being secured in spaced-apart orientation along the interior periphery of the universal press frame, along the side rails, along the front rail and along the rear rail by cooperation with the dovetail groove in the rails, the auxiliary adjustable support tables being adjusted with respect to the base member to have the leading edge oriented substantially-parallel to a part of the universal press frame to which the auxiliary adjustable support members is secured, in such a way that an xe2x80x9cimaginaryxe2x80x9d perimeter which would be defined by joining the front edges of the auxiliary adjustable support tables constitutes a perimeter that is substantially-similar to, but is slightly larger than, the perimetrical shape of a sheet containing carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine, so that the auxiliary adjustable support tables provide a temporary support for selected areas of the sheet containing carton blanks which have been die-cut from a sheet by a male cutting die of the die cutting machine.
By a variant of the eighth to thirteenth broad aspects of this invention, the universal press frame includes legs which are secured to selected the rails, to support the universal press frame above a base support.
By a fourteenth broad aspect of this invention, a method is provided for setting-up a male blanking die and a female blanking die combination in a blanking station of a die cutting machine, the method comprising the steps of A) providing a male blanking die by the steps comprising a) providing a template, the shape of the template being of the outer shape of a sheet containing cartons which have been die-cut by the die cutting machine, the template also including a plurality of selected apertures in the template, the underside of the template including a plurality of removably-secured foam plastic blocks which are disposed in accurately-predetermined locations thereon, and b) installing the template in the die cutting machine with the foam plastic blocks facing downwardly, the template being accurately-installed through the use of the selected apertures in the template, thereby providing a male blanking die as an upper blanking die in the die cutting machine, and B) providing a female blanking die by the steps, as described hereinabove, and then c) using the removed template as the template in step A), thereby simultaneously also providing the female blanking die for the die cutting machine, and d) installing the female blanking die as the fixed lower blanking die in the die cutting machine.
As noted hereinabove, the method of one important embodiment of this invention provides methods for erecting a female blanking die in the form of a grid support frame which is accurately-positioned within the universal press frame which includes a front rail, a rear rail and two side rails, the side rails each being provided with a dovetail groove along its inside edges. The female blanking die is accurately-positioned within the universal press frame by means of method steps involving the use of a template which had been laser-shaped corresponding to the outer perimetrical shape of a sheet, containing a plurality of cartons which are to be die-cut by the male cutting die of the die cutting machine. The perimetrical edges of the lasered template are used to define the extent to which jogger members which, according to this method, are placed on the rails so as to project inwardly within the interior perimeter of the rectangular framework of the universal press frame. The perimetrical shape of the template and the rectangular apertures therethrough, are produced according to the instructions of a CAD program and then are laser cut. The outer perimeter of the template is {fraction (1/32)}xe2x80x3 outside of the carton cut lines which have been accurately-laser-etched into the template according to the instructions of the CAD program. The inside laser-etched lines are on-size to match the outer perimetrical shape of the cartons to be die-cut by the die press. Datum holes are laser-cut in the template in precise locations according to the instructions of the CAD program. A lasered centre line is placed on the template, and centre line holes are cut in the template. xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d-nuts are secured within the centre line holes, and the bases of the centre line orientation cylinders are threaded into the xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d-nuts in these centre line holes. Thus, the centre line orientation cylinders are inserted at the front end centre line hole and at the rear end centre line hole, and a steel rod is inserted through aligned bores in the upper barrels of the centre line orientation cylinders. Centre line brackets are secured onto the front rail and the rear rail at the exact centre line, by having the extended ends of the steel rod rest on the cradles provided by the centre line brackets. The template is temporarily, but securely, fixed to the frame by means of engagement with corner locking clamps which are disposed at the corners of the two opposed side rails of the universal press frame. Once the template is accurately-placed and fixed within the frame, the centre line orientation devices and the centre line brackets are removed. The template is, thus, on the centre line of the universal press frame. It is adjusted longitudinally to datum positions which have been previously-designated according to the instructions of the CAD program, with respect to the side rails, these datum positions being defined by holes in the template which are provided with xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d-nuts. This provides a rigid, stable combination of the universal press frame and the template. Etch lines are provided on the template in the shape of the abutting edges of cartons which are to be blanked. A suitable number of datum holes are provided on each of the etch lines, and xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d-nuts are secured within such datum apertures. Grid orientation devices in the form of cylinders including an upper barrel having a pair of mutually-transverse slots of different widths in its upper circular face and a threaded shank at the base thereof, are threaded into the xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d-nuts in the grid orientation datum apertures. These grid orientation cylinders are used to fix the location of the female blanking die grid. A plurality of grid support brackets are disposed along the inner perimeter of the frame.
The grid, in the shape of the outline of each of the abutting portions of the plurality of cartons to be die-cut, (and which forms the female blanking die) is placed atop the template to fit into selected slots within the grid orientation cylinders, and into slots in grid support brackets which are also disposed along the internal periphery of the universal press frame. The barrels of the orientation cylinders are rotated so that the grid fits onto the slots of the grid orientation cylinders, and then the grid orientation cylinders are locked into the template by means of the lock washers. The ends of the grid are locked to respective grid support brackets by a lock screw, and the grid support brackets are then slid along the universal press frame to the proper position according to the instructions of the CAD program. The grid support brackets are then locked in accurate positions on the universal press frame, dependent on the accurate location of the grid. In this way, the grid is placed in the perfect position according to the instructions of the CAD program for accurate positioning of the female blanking die.
The jogger members, which include a particular expandable dovetail-lock for insertion in the dovetail groove of the side rails, are now accurately-positioned around the inner perimeter of the universal press frame. Some or all of the jogger members may have been previously-placed around the inner perimeter of the universal press frame, before the template is secured therein. If not, then all the jogger members are so-placed at this time. In any event, all of the jogger members which are selectively-disposed along the inner perimeter of the rectangular framework of the universal press frame are adjusted to abut selected perimetrical edges of the lasered template. In this way, the jogger members are thereby accurately-positioned.
If the back trim of the die-cut sheet containing the plurality of cartons has been removed by the stripper, the jogger members are adjusted to abut the back of the lasered template. If the side trim of the die-cut and blanked sheet containing the plurality of cartons have been removed by the stripper, then side rails are inserted into slots in the side jogger members. Alternatively, the side rails may be inserted into special side support brackets. In either case, they are secured therein with lock-down bolts. This provides support for the side edges of the blanked sheet.
The front end of the blanked sheet is associated with a gripper. The front trim is removed to provide the means to pull the blanked sheets through the press. Special front rail jogger members assure that the front end of the blanked sheet is accurately-positioned.
The template is then removed by the removal of the lock screws holding the template to the corner locking clamps. The corner locking clamps are then removed, thereby allowing the template to drop down below the universal press frame. Then, the template is then removed from underneath the universal press frame. The entire female blanking die and universal press frame is ready for mounting, as the lower plate (female blanking die) of the blanking machine, and is ready for production.
By these means, the entire female blanking die, which includes the grid, the jogger members and optional auxiliary adjustable support members, is built-up. The template assures that the cut sheet is exactly-matched, and that the universal press frame is square. The female blanking die can be fixed in the press in registry with all of the datum points, which are predetermined according to the instructions of the CAD program.
The die-cut sheet is supported on the grid (the female blanking die) and on the front trim support, and, optionally, also on the side support rails. The jogger members are adjusted (i.e., xe2x80x9cfine-tunedxe2x80x9d) to position them to contact the perimeter of the template. The front rail joggers are adjusted (i.e., xe2x80x9cfine-tunedxe2x80x9d) by longitudinal movement to provide the proper set-up for the shear distance in order to break the nicks in the blank.
The removed template now becomes the male blanking die by the following steps. The grid orientation cylinders are removed from the upper surface of the template. The lower surface of the template is provided with a plurality of foam plastic blocks, which are removably-secured to the underside of the template. These blocks may be removably-held by means of holding members, e.g., cylindrical members, xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d-shaped members, or xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d-shaped members, which are secured to the underside of the template. Some or all of these foam plastic blocks may be split longitudinally, so that the two portions may be slid along the holding members to xe2x80x9cfine-tunexe2x80x9d their position, as will be explained further hereinafter. The template is then secured, in the usual fashion, to the die cutting machine by means well-known in the art. Such securement is, however, very accurate and is in registry with the lower female blanking die, through the use of the datum holes from which the grid orientation cylinders have been removed. The foam plastic blocks are adapted to contact the blanked cartons in a manner which does not damage the cartons when the blanked-out cartons are removed from the die-cut sheets.